Li Mu focused intently, gazing at the Skyfire Refining Furnace, forming a hand seal, and suddenly letting out a soft shout as a mysterious Daoist Magic was struck into the Skyfire Refining Furnace.
The Purple Gold Skyfire Refining Furnace, its purple fire body trembled violently, seemingly resonating with that Daoist Magic.
“Puff, puff…”
Streaks of azure sword light suddenly burst forth from the Skyfire Refining Furnace, connecting in a string, each streak of azure sword light seemed to possess life, emitting a powerful aura.
Li Mu released his spiritual connection with Crimson Refining Fire Phoenix and Azure Moon True Dragon, his eyes fixed on the fleeting sword lights, his heart filled with joy and excitement, because he knew the true value and potential of these sword lights, delighted that he had refined fifteen top-grade Spirit Swords in one go.
The Green Bamboo Spirit Swords, which had just flown out of the Skyfire Refining Furnace, broke through the air, like spiritual little elves, drawing graceful sword marks in the sky, shimmering with emerald green light; they gathered together, flying rapidly in all directions, attempting to escape this realm.
However, they were located in the Treasure Mansion Cave, destined to be unable to escape this enclosed space.
“They’re done! Master, you are truly amazing! All fifteen fifth-tier top-grade Spirit Swords have achieved sentience!” Crimson Refining Fire Phoenix looked at Li Mu excitedly, saying with admiration.
“I’ll go fetch them back!” Azure Moon True Dragon said excitedly; it had also participated in this Artifact Refining, earning some credit, and was equally overjoyed.
As soon as its voice fell, Azure Moon True Dragon transformed into a streak of light, its figure instantly vanishing from its original spot.
Before long, Azure Moon True Dragon returned, clutching a massive water sphere in its hand.
The huge water sphere trapped the azure Spirit Swords within it, exactly fifteen Green Bamboo Spirit Swords, no more, no less, each one verdant green, with a faint golden glow appearing on its blade, exuding powerful spirituality and Sword Intent.
Li Mu stared intently at these sword lights, an unspeakable joy appearing on his face.
Heavenly Talent - Identify Myriad Spirits took effect, and all the attributes of the Green Bamboo Spirit Swords were displayed one by one.
【Unnamed】
【Grade: Fifth-tier top-grade Spirit Sword】
【Characteristics: Instant Sword Shadow, Verdant Sword Light, Layered Sword Bamboo, Five Elements Wood Element, Sword of Azure Waves, Green Bamboo Sword Aura, Myriad Sword Silks.】
【Status: Spirit Sword newly born, full of spirituality, vibrant with life.】
【Refined using Sixth-tier Azure Green Spirit Bamboo, Sixth-tier Ancient Chen Fine Gold, Sixth-tier Crimson Cloud Spirit Soil, using the Dual Water-Fire Refining Method, gathering the Five Elements, following the Wood Element, … …, inscribed with: Azure Wave, Swarm, Shadow Pursuit, Toughness, Extreme Sharpness… and many other special functional artifact patterns, the Spirit Sword contains powerful Wood Element power, natural power, controlling this sword, one can unleash the Five Elements Sword Formation, exerting powerful Wood Element spiritual breath and continuous Sword Qi.】
The fifteen fifth-tier top-grade Green Bamboo Spirit Swords, their status and attributes, were almost identical, as if cast from the same mold.
Li Mu was filled with emotion; this Artifact Refining, thanks to the participation of Crimson Refining Fire Phoenix and Azure Moon True Dragon, saw a significant increase in efficiency and a great reduction in True Qi consumption, the only relatively demanding aspect was Divine Thought, multi-tasking to control them in Artifact Refining simultaneously, and refining so many Flying Swords at once, the mental consumption was too great.
However, it was fortunate that this time it was only refining fifth-tier Spirit Swords, which greatly reduced the difficulty, and Li Mu felt he still had plenty of energy left; in the next batch, he should be able to refine a greater number of fifth-tier top-grade Spirit Swords.
As for sixth-tier Spirit Swords, Li Mu thought about it and decided to give up; refining sixth-tier Spirit Swords, firstly, the quantity of auxiliary Materials was far from enough, and secondly, the immense consumption of True Qi and Divine Thought meant that even refining a single one still had a chance of failure, and attempting to refine multiple ones simultaneously would undoubtedly lead to failure.
The most suitable way to complete Myriad Swords Mountain was still with a large number of fifth-tier top-grade Spirit Swords.
Li Mu summoned Myriad Swords Mountain from the nine storage spiritual pearl, formed a hand seal, and struck a Daoist Magic into it, a “hum” of sword resonance sounded, and a powerful Sword Intent emanated from Myriad Swords Mountain.
“Release them!” Li Mu looked at Azure Moon True Dragon, gesturing.
Azure Moon True Dragon understood, then released the water sphere, and the fifteen azure Spirit Swords instantly flew out of the water sphere; they spun a few times in the air, and all discovered the benefits of Myriad Swords Mountain, integrating into it, where their Sword Intent could be tempered, their sword bodies could be enhanced, in short, they could gain many benefits, and one day, it was not impossible for them to advance to sixth-tier Spirit Swords.
The fifteen Green Bamboo Spirit Swords, full of spirituality, flew into Myriad Swords Mountain.
Myriad Swords Mountain was like a large “sword sheath”; each Spirit Sword seemed to have found its home, integrating into it, and a mysterious connection seemed to form between the swords and the mountain, echoing each other, emitting an even sharper sword aura.
“This Sword Mountain Spirit Treasure still needs quite a few top-grade Spirit Swords to gather Myriad Swords, and only then can it advance to a seventh-rank dao tool. Next, I’ll need your help for a while to refine these bamboo swords with me!” Li Mu looked at Crimson Refining Fire Phoenix and Azure Moon True Dragon, smiling.
“If Master has a need, Qing Yue will naturally go all out, go through fire and water, without hesitation!” Azure Moon True Dragon replied firmly, without any hesitation.
“It is Crimson Flame’s greatest honor to refine artifacts with Master; Crimson Flame will surely exert all her strength to assist Master!” Crimson Refining Fire Phoenix said excitedly, clearly full of anticipation for this task.
They were not displeased by the need to put in hard work; instead, they were overjoyed at the opportunity to participate in Li Mu’s Artifact Refining process, learning deeper Artifact Refining Dao, and comprehending the Five Elements Dao, which for them was a rare opportunity and a challenge.
“Good! Let’s begin!” Li Mu smiled happily; with the assistance of Crimson Refining Fire Phoenix and Azure Moon True Dragon, he would surely be able to refine enough Green Bamboo Spirit Swords in a very short time, allowing Myriad Swords Mountain to advance as quickly as possible.
In the days that followed, Li Mu, Crimson Refining Fire Phoenix, and Azure Moon True Dragon immersed themselves in the world of Artifact Refining, continuously refining Green Bamboo Spirit Swords using the water and fire methods. With the refinement of each batch of Spirit Swords, Li Mu’s state of mind and Artifact Refining skills improved significantly.
Of course, Li Mu did not forget the dozen or so high-tier Spirit Treasure refining commissions; after mastering the Dual Water-Fire Artifact Refining Skill, he began to fully complete these tasks.
Nearly half a month passed in a flash, and Li Mu had to temporarily set aside his Artifact Refining work to return to Crescent Moon Island to care for the Purple Yang Spiritual Mushroom and Yin Soul Fruit.
These two spiritual plants were crucial to his cultivation, so Li Mu decided to temporarily let Crimson Refining Fire Phoenix and Azure Moon True Dragon return to rest, and at the same time, let them review the experiences and gains from this extensive Artifact Refining.
As soon as Li Mu emerged from the secret chamber, Liu Yalan and Miss Xue Er went to greet him.
“Pavilion Master, you’re finally out! These past few days, several Seniors have come to visit you, likely to commission Artifact Refining!”
Liu Yalan looked at Li Mu with a joyful expression and said.
“Hmm! Right now, a Soul Transformation Senior - Huanglong Honored One, is waiting in the living room! He’s come several times, and I’ve always told him you were in the secret chamber refining artifacts, asking him to come back in a few days, however, this person has a rather peculiar personality!” Miss Xue Er frowned, looking at Li Mu and indicating.
“Oh! How so?” Li Mu dared not underestimate Miss Xue Er’s sensitivity to emotional perception; she possessed the Heavenly Fox Bloodline, a unique Heavenly Talent that gave her profound mastery in capturing moods and emotions.
“I can’t quite put my finger on it, his demeanor and speech just make me feel a bit uncomfortable, Lord Li, if you’re going to discuss Artifact Refining commissions with him later, I’ll serve by your side!” Miss Xue Er’s dark eyes darted around, looking at Li Mu and suggesting.
“Alright! Take me to see him!” Li Mu smiled and nodded, then suddenly thought of something and looked at Liu Yalan, saying: “Shopkeeper Liu, have someone notify Island Lord Ye and Senior Chen Xuanzi to come collect their Spirit Treasures; I’ve finished refining them!”
“Good! Good!” Liu Yalan was overjoyed and responded excitedly.
These days, Li’s Treasure Firm was almost in a semi-closed state, business was slow, and income was greatly affected. The successful delivery of the sixth-tier Spirit Treasures Li Mu refined for the two Seniors would undoubtedly promote Li's Treasure Pavilion.
Liu Yalan looked at Li Mu, her eyes full of anticipation: “Pavilion Master, the Treasure Firm’s inventory of spiritual items is insufficient, have you found a new source of goods? Or, should I help you search?”
Li Mu smiled and shook his head: “No need, I’ll handle these.”
“Hmm! Take these, they’ll tide us over for a while!” With that, Li Mu took out a storage ring and handed it to Liu Yalan.
Inside the storage ring were the Spirit Pills and Spirit Talismans that Ginseng King and Six-Arms had refined during this period, and also a portion of the fourth-tier Spirit Swords eliminated from Myriad Swords Mountain. Going forward, Myriad Swords Mountain’s fourth-tier and fifth-tier Low Grade Spirit Swords would all be replaced by fifth-tier top-grade Green Bamboo Spirit Swords.
At that time, over two thousand four- and five-tier Flying Swords could be replaced, which would be enough for Li's Treasure Pavilion to sell for a period of time.
Liu Yalan took the storage ring, immersed her Divine Sense, and her face lit up with joy; the storage ring was filled with various Spirit Pills and talismans, especially the hundreds of four- and five-tier Flying Swords, which made her eyes sparkle.
"Xue Er, let's go!" Li Mu looked at Xue Er and smiled, gesturing.
Xue Er nodded and led Li Mu to the reception room.
When Li Mu and Xue Er entered the reception room, Huanglong Honored One was already seated there, his face slightly gloomy, seemingly with a hint of worry. Seeing Li Mu and Xue Er enter, he immediately stood up and asked with concern, "Miss Xue Er, is Master Li done with Artifact Refining?"
Xue Er slightly turned her body, revealing Li Mu behind her, and respectfully introduced him to Huanglong Honored One: "Senior Huang, this is Master Li of our Li's Treasure Firm!"
Huanglong Honored One then cast his gaze upon Li Mu, his eyes carrying a hint of scrutiny and inquiry, carefully sizing up Li Mu, wanting to see something unusual about him.
After a brief silence, Huanglong Honored One's face showed surprise, and he looked at Li Mu, praising, "Is that true? This is Master Li? Please forgive my poor eyesight; one cannot judge a book by its cover. Master Li looks so young, yet possesses such superb Artifact Refining skills. It's truly admirable!"
"Senior Huang, you flatter me!" Li Mu responded with a smile, looking at Huanglong Honored One and asking with concern, "May I know what kind of Spirit Treasure Senior Huang wishes to commission for Artifact Refining?"
Upon hearing this, a mysterious light flashed in Huanglong Honored One's eyes, and he replied, "Master Li, I have come this time to ask you to refine a six-tier Spirit Sword with powerful destructive power."
Huanglong Honored One paused, as if considering how to describe the characteristics of this Spirit Sword, then continued: "This Spirit Sword needs to possess extreme sharpness and powerful armor-piercing effects. At the same time, it must also contain a certain degree of Soul-destroying power, capable of causing severe Soul damage to enemies."
"Hmm, I am quite skilled at refining Flying Swords!" Li Mu nodded, not surprised by this. As a commonly used weapon for cultivators, most of the more than ten Artifact Refining commissions requested the refining of Flying Swords, and the refining techniques required for them were also extremely high.
"May I ask if Senior Huang has already prepared suitable Artifact Refining Materials? Could I take a look?" Li Mu looked at Huanglong Honored One and stated his request; he needed to understand the Materials used to better proceed with the Artifact Refining.
"Master Li, you're too polite." Huanglong Honored One responded with a smile, then took out an exquisite storage ring from his Pregnant and handed it to Li Mu. "These are the Materials I've prepared for refining this Spirit Sword. Master Li, please examine them."
Li Mu took the storage ring and immediately immersed his Divine Sense into it. He identified the dozen or so high-tier spirit Materials inside the storage ring one by one. These six-tier spirit Materials were of superior quality, each containing abundant Spiritual Qi and special attributes, making them the best spirit Materials for refining a six-tier Spirit Sword.
"Master Li, these Materials of mine should be enough to refine a six-tier Spirit Sword, right?" Huanglong Honored One looked at Li Mu and asked with concern.
"Enough!" Li Mu replied affirmatively, smiling, "These Materials are of superior quality, completely sufficient to refine a six-tier Spirit Sword. According to the Artifact Refining skills I possess, I have a sixty percent chance of refining a six-tier Spirit Sword that meets Senior Huang's requirements. However, refining a six-tier Spirit Sword is quite difficult, ..."
"I naturally know that, Master Li, just do your best!" Huanglong Honored One breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Li Mu and asked with concern, "May I ask if Master Li had any gains from this Artifact Refining seclusion?"
Upon hearing this, Li Mu smiled slightly and gestured, "I gained a lot! I was fortunate enough to complete two Artifact Refining commissions, but they involve the secrets of two Seniors, so it's inconvenient to show them to Senior Huang."
"That's truly excellent! I understand, I understand!" Huanglong Honored One's face showed joy upon hearing Li Mu's reply, and he nodded repeatedly.
"This is the Artifact Refining commission contract, Senior Huang, please take a look!" Li Mu smiled slightly, took out a standardized contract from his nine storage spiritual pearl, and gestured.
"Master Li, can we discuss the payment method for this Artifact Refining reward?" Huanglong Honored One took the Artifact Refining commission, read it quickly, and then said with a troubled expression.
"Hmm! Senior Huang, please speak freely!" Li Mu looked at Huanglong Honored One and asked with a smile.
"Master Li, to be honest, to gather the Materials for this Spirit Sword, I've almost emptied my family's coffers. I'm afraid I can't produce five portions of six-tier spirit Materials!" Huanglong Honored One looked at Li Mu with a troubled expression and explained in detail. He paused, then suggested, "However, I do know the location of a Seventh-Order Heaven Fire. Can the reward be paid with that? It's just that the Seventh-Order Heaven Fire is extremely powerful and can melt everything, making it difficult to take away. I'm afraid Master Li will need to come with me to retrieve that Heaven Fire!"
"Seventh-Order Heaven Fire! Is that true!" Hearing this, Li Mu's heart trembled, and he asked with concern.
"Of course! To refine this Spirit Sword, I, Huang, have poured everything I have. How dare I deceive Master Li with such news!" Seeing Li Mu take it so seriously, Huanglong Honored One's face broke into a smile, and he quickly replied.
At this moment, Xue Er, who was serving beside Li Mu, furrowed her delicate brows and looked at Huanglong Honored One with a serious expression on her pretty face, apparently noticing the abnormality in Huanglong Honored One's emotional fluctuations when he spoke these words.
At this moment, Li Mu also noticed the abnormality in Xue Er's expression. He stood up Keep calm, shielding Huanglong Honored One's gaze, and feigned excitement, saying, "Good! Good! If I can obtain a Seventh-Order Heaven Fire, my Artifact Refining skills will surely advance another tier. Let that be the Artifact Refining reward!"
Suddenly, Li Mu seemed to remember something, his brow furrowed, and he said with difficulty, "However, I already have dozens of Artifact Refining commissions on hand. If I help Senior Huang with Artifact Refining, I'm afraid it will have to wait two years."
After speaking, Li Mu handed the storage ring back to Huanglong Honored One and gestured, "Senior Huang, you can take these Materials first. How about you hand them over to me for refining in two years?"
"Have to wait two years? Why so long?" Huanglong Honored One was slightly stunned, looking at Li Mu, his eyes showing a hint of disappointment, and he said anxiously, "Master Li, I hope you can help me refine this Spirit Sword as soon as possible. If I wait two years, that Heaven Fire might be taken by someone else!"
"Refining a six-tier spirit treasure is extremely difficult. The refining process alone takes nearly a month, not to mention the preparation process for Artifact Refining. Over a dozen Artifact Refining commissions have already set times, making it really difficult to manage... Can Senior help keep an eye on that Heaven Fire? I'll think of a way to try and complete Senior Huang's Artifact Refining commission within a year!" Li Mu looked troubled.
"Refining a six-tier spirit treasure is indeed an extremely time-consuming and energy-intensive task." Li Mu looked troubled, with a hint of apology in his tone, and explained, "The refining process takes nearly a month, and the preparations before Artifact Refining also require a lot of time. Additionally, I have over a dozen Artifact Refining commissions for which contracts have already been signed, with clear time arrangements..."
Li Mu gritted his teeth, looking troubled as he sincerely said to Huanglong Honored One, "Senior Huang, could you please help keep an eye on that Heaven Fire? I will try to find a way to start Senior Huang's Artifact Refining commission within a year, which might shorten the time a bit."
"Alright! Then I'll leave it to Master Li. I live on Huanglong Dao. Whenever Master Li can start refining my Spirit Sword, just send someone to the island to inform me!" Huanglong Honored One took back the storage ring from his hand, then solemnly said, "If Master Li truly wishes to obtain that Heaven Fire, please do so as soon as possible, otherwise, delays may lead to unforeseen complications!"
"I know that too. I also hope to get that Heaven Fire as soon as possible. I hope Senior Huang can guard that Heaven Fire for me. I will discuss with a few other Seniors to see if I can free up an Artifact Refining slot to refine the Spirit Sword for Senior Huang as soon as possible!" Li Mu sighed, speaking sincerely.
"Hmm! I will do my best too. I look forward to Master's good news!" Huanglong Honored One looked at Li Mu, signing the Artifact Refining commission contract with a smile on his face.
Soon, under the enthusiastic farewell of Li Mu and Xue Er, Huanglong Honored One was escorted out of Li's Treasure Pavilion, leaving in a hurry with a smile on his face. (End of this chapter)
